Having guided Orlando Pirates to within one game of winning the CAF Confederation Cup. The former Bafana Bafana midfielder will require from his players the kind of gritty determination he was known for if the final hurdle is to be successfully negotiated in the Stade Oympique de Sousse, the home of opponents Etoile du Sahel.
“The objective is to go there and get the desired result to ensure that we come back with the trophy,” Tinkler says.
“My objective is to win this competition because I know that it will be fantastic for me as a coach in my first season to win such a prestigious tournament. That has been my objective since the day I was appointed as interim coach.”
Tinkler has only been at the helm since December last year when he stepped up from the assistant coach position to replace Vladimir Vermezovic. Now he stands to win CAF’s second biggest club prize.
Roger de Sa was head coach the last time the Buccaneers reached a CAF Final, finishing runners-up in the 2013 Champions League. Though a South African citizen who has represented this country internationally in three sports, De Sa was born in Mozambique.
When Pirates won the Champions League back in 1995, the Scot Joe Frickleton was head coach during the first leg, and the Zambian Ronald Mkandawire was on the bench for the decisive match in Abidjan.
And when Kaizer Chiefs won the 2001 African Cup Winners’ Cup (Mandela Cup), Turkish-born Muhsin Ertugral was their coach, while Ted Dumitru – born in Romania – was at the helm when Mamelodi Sundowns reached the CAF Champions League Final the same year.
Tinkler has endured a sometimes-rocky ride during his first year in charge at Pirates, but now it is worth recognising that he is close to achieving what no other locally born coach has ever achieved.
Personal achievement aside, Tinkler is also desperate to win the trophy for his boss. No other South African club owners has attached as much importance to CAF success as Irvin Khoza.
“It will be fantastic for the club and I know for a fact that it is something that the chairman would love to do; to add Confederation Cup to the trophy cabinet,” Tinkler says.